stories, lessons, and a lot of nonsense

Did you know that a rattlesnake does not immediately die when you cut off its head? That would have been a hot tip when I lived in Florida. My landlord showed me where his ax was, just in case I saw a rattlesnake. He said to cut off its head, put the snake in a bag, and let him know. He would dispose of it. I was scared enough due to the 8-foot long snake skin hanging next to the ax. Seeing the fear in my eye, he let me know that it was for the sake of the kids. We couldn’t have a rattler on the loose with all those kids playing in the field. He got me there. But what if I had killed one by cutting its head off and tried to put it in a bag? He didn’t tell me that it would stay alive for a while. That would have sucked. I would have reached down to throw it away, thinking I was safe and SNAP! It could still kill me. What the heck?

“And so it is with sin…” to quote an old TI sermon (or probably several old TI sermons). Just when you think you have conquered the beast, it can get you. You think you have everything under control. All clear. You’re safe. SNAP! Brings you right back down, doesn’t it? I guess we’re never quite as safe as we think.